Giving nesting birds a helping hand

ENVIRONMENT

By Maria de Bruyn
Correspondent

Recently, you may have seen birds flying by with beaks filled with something other than food. Nesting season has arrived, especially for blue-gray gnatcatchers and hummingbirds. Their similar nests are placed on tree branches, where they are well camouflaged by the birds’ woven and lichen-covered walls held together with strong, sticky spiderweb fibers.

Given the ongoing destruction of many natural areas and the effects of climate change, quite a few bird species are endangered. So, it’s great if we can help them. In my own yard, I try to accommodate birds’ needs for nesting materials. Dead leaves and grasses are abundant. Several bird species like plucking fluff from cattails that I grow in a water-filled tub. Some also gather bits of left-over coir fiber matting left out for them.

Several species like to nest in boxes that we provide. For example, Eastern bluebirds, brown-headed nuthatches, Carolina chickadees, and house wrens often seek out these structures. If you have space, it can be nice to have more than one nest box. Last summer, “my” Eastern bluebird pair used a different nest box for each of three nests, successfully bringing 14 fledglings into our Chapel Hill neighborhood.

One question that we helpful humans confront is: where and how is it best to place a nest box? Squirrels, snakes and other critters will take advantage of bird nests to snag an easy meal of eggs or nestlings. When we’ve been watching the parents fly to and fro while feeding nestlings and removing their poop, we (and the parents) would like to see the little ones make it out alive.

Top photos: nest boxes placed on 2x4s with round metal baffles placed over longitudinal baffles fashioned from old gutters. Bottom photos: nest boxes on metal poles with purchased squirrel and raccoon baffles. Photos by © Maria de Bruyn.

Based on several years of experience, my best option has been to place nest boxes on either metal poles or wooden 2x4s. These then have both a round and a long baffle. When I had some old gutters available, I cut them into pieces and used them to fashion vertical baffles instead of buying some (it’s always nice to save some money!). Those improvised barriers have been quite effective in preventing snakes from stretching up and over the round baffle barriers.

The Cornell Nest Watch project advises placing poles 15-25 feet apart. You should also place the pole about 6-10 feet from any nearby overhanging or vertical branches or shrubs as snakes can get on those and stretch out to get over the baffles.

Cornell Lab’s Nest Watch Project provides species-specific information on the best way to place nest boxes for a large number of cavity-nesting bird species: https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/nest-box-placement/.

If you wish to purchase a nest box, you can support local conservation efforts by buying a nest box from the New Hope Bird Alliance. They sell three types of houses: bluebird, brown-headed nuthatch and screech owl nest boxes.

My thanks to a nature-loving friend who suggested publication of an article featuring information on nest boxes!

Maria de Bruyn participates in nature-oriented citizen science projects, volunteers for the Orange County Senior Center and coordinates a nature-themed book club. See more of her photos on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bruynmariade/), Blue Sky (@mdb2024.bsky.social), and in blogs at https://mybeautifulworldblog.com. This reporter can be reached at information@thelocalreporter.press.